Pivotable pole-type load lifting apparatus



Se t. 20, 1966 T. w. TUSCHEN 3,273,219

PIVOTABLE POLE-TYPE LOAD LIFTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 15, 1965 INVENTOR.

THEODORE W. TUSCHEN ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,273,219 PIVOTABLEPOLE-TYPE LOAD LIFTING APPARATUS Theodore W. Tuschen, Sun Prairie, Wis.Filed Jan. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 425,889 3 Claims. (Cl. 27-27) Thisinvention relates to load lifters and more particularly to body andcasket lifting apparatus.

While the lifting apparatus shown in the drawings is designed forlifting bodies and caskets in such usually confined quarters as thepreparation rooms in a mortuary, my invention find-s particularadvantageous employment wherever relatively heavy loads must be handledin cramped working areas.

Known body and casket lifters generally have a wheelmounted basesupporting an upright standard and have a lifting boom attached to thestandard and extending outwardly over the wheel-mounted base. Forhandling such heavy and bulky objects as caskets, the bases of this typeof lifter must be quite large to prevent the apparatus from tipping overand, therefore, they have been found to be very cumbersome to use,especially in rather small preparation rooms common in mortuaries. Ithas also been found that the wheel-mounted base, which must necessarilyextend outward under the load lifting boom to prevent the apparatus frombeing tipped over by the load, often prevents the lifter from beingmoved in sufilciently close to a bier to allow a casket to be properlylowered onto the bier. The large wheel-mounted bases likewise interferewith the lowering of a body into a casket and with the lifting of acasket out of a shipping crate.

Accordingly, it is an object of my invention to provide a new andimproved load lifting apparatus.

Another object of my invention is to provide a floorto-ceiling,pole-type, body and casket lifter which has a 360 working arc.

Another object of my invention is to provide a floorto-ceiling,pole-type, body and casket lifter which can be readily set up and takendown.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a sturdy, lightweight, body and casket lifter which has a dignified and professionalappearance.

Further objects, features and advantages of my invention will beapparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings showing a preferred exemplary embodimentof my invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of my inventionsupporting a casket,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side view of the upper end of theupright standard of my invention with portions broken away to showattachment to an upper supporting surface.

IFIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross section view taken along line33 of FIG. 1 showing a portion of the upright standard of my invention.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, in FIG. 1, a loadlifter comprising my invention is shown supporting a casket 11.Generally, lifter 10 has an adjustable, floor-to-ceiling, pivotablestandard 12 comprising a lower tubular section 13 and an upper tubularsection 14 which telescopes into the lower section 13, a boom 1 5 and ajack 16 for raising and lowering the boom 15. The standard 12 has topand bottom swivel pins 17 and .18, respectively, which are pivotablycarried in ceiling and base swivel plates 19 and 20, respectively. Thestandard 12 is adapted to be rotated 360 degrees in swivel plates 19 and20.

The upper swivel pin 17 and the upper or ceiling swivel plate 19 areshown in detail in FIG. 2. The upper swivel pin 17 is mounted on theupper end of tubular standard section 14 by a plug 21 having a neckportion 2 1a adapted to be frictionally held in tubular section 1 4 anda flange portion 21b adapted to abut the end of the tubular section 14.The pin 17, which may be made of steel, nylon, or other satisfactorymaterial, may be fixedly secured in plug 2-1 by welding or othersuitable means. The pin 17 is adapted to be pivotably received in arecess 19a in upper swivel plate 19. Swivel plate 19 has a plurality ofholes 22 adapted to receive screws 23 for fixedly attaching it to aceiling or other supporting surface such as 24 shown in FIG. 2.

The lower end of the standard 12 is substantially identical to the upperend except, of course, the base plug 25 is slightly larger than theupper plug 21 to facilitate its insertion into the lower tubularstandard section 13 which has a slightly larger inside diameter than theupper tubular section 14. The base swivel plate 20 need not be fixedlyattached to the floor or other lower supporting surface since it will bemaintained in position by the weight of the lifter and the load. For amore permanent installation, instead of using a bottom swivel plate suchas 20, a small cup or socket may be recessed in the floor or other lowersupporting surface for receiving the lower swivel pin 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, a boom .15 is pivotally mounted on the lower tubularstandard section 13 for movement about a horizontal pivot pin 26. In apreferred form boom 15 comprises a pair of steel arms 27 and 28 joinedat their rear ends by pivot pin 26 which is carried in boom mountingbracket 29 which is fixedly secured to the upper end of lower standardsection 13 by welding or other suitable means. The forward end of boomarms 27 and 28 are joined by a carrier pin 30. Boom 15 Supports suitableload carrying means, shown in the drawings in the form of an elongatedsuspension bar 31 having a plurality of slings 32 attached thereto. Thistype of load carrying means which is particularly adapted for handling abody or a casket such as shown at 11 is well known and forms no part ofmy invention.

The boom 15 is adapted to be pivoted between upper and lower positionsby a conventional hydraulic jack 1 6 comprising a cylinder 33 and apiston 34. The piston 34 as shown in its extended position in FIG. 1, ispivotably attached to boom arms 27 and 28 intermediate their forward andrear ends by pin 35. Cylinder 33 has a base portion 36 which ispivotably attached to a mounting bracket 37 by pin 38. Bracket 37 issecured to the lower tubular standard section 13 by any suitable meanssuch as welding. Jack 16 has an operating lever 39 which is adapted tooperate the jack in the conventional manner.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, the upper tubular standard section 14 istelescoped into the lower standard section 13. The lower standardsection 13 has a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of adjusting holes40. An adjusting pin 41 may be inserted into a selected pair of holes 40for varying the height of the standard 12. Locking means are provided inthe form of key 42 which is received in transverse hole 43 in adjustingpin 41 for positively retaining adjusting pin 41 in the selected pair ofadjusting holes. The upper standard section 14 is resiliently supportedin the lower section 13 by a coil spring 44 which rests on adjusting pin41.

To erect the load lifter 10 the adjusting pin 41 is positioned in a pairof adjusting holes 40 which will make the height of the standard 12,when the coil spring 44 is substantially uncompressed, slightly greaterthan the height of the ceiling. The upper swivel pin 17 is then insertedinto the recess 19a in swivel plate 19 which is attached to the ceilingand the standard is manually compressed to a height less than theceiling height of the room by exerting a compression force on the coilspring by telescoping the standard sections together. The lower swivelpin 18 is then inserted into base swivel plate 20 and the coil spring 44is allowed to extend the standard and maintain the swivel pins in theirrespective swivel plates.

It is readily apparent that my load lifter requires only a very smallamount of floor space and that there are no obstructions at the baseextending outwardly under the lifting boom which would interfere withthe moving of bodies to and from preparation tables and caskets or whichwould hinder the movement of caskets to and from shipping crates, biers,or the like.

It is further apparent that my load lifter has a 360 working arc and canbe freely swivelled about its vertical axis.

It is understood that my invention is not confined to the particularconstruction and arrangement of parts herein illustrated and described,but embraces all such modified forms thereof as come within the scope ofthe following claims.

I claim:

1. Body and casket lifting apparatus comprising:

(a) an adjustable upright floor-to-ceiling standard having axiallyaligned telescoping upper and lower tubular sections,

(b) said lower tubular section having a downwardly disposed smoothswivel pin mounted at its lower end and said upper section having anupwardly disposed smooth swivel pin mounted at its upper end,

(c) an upper member adapted to be secured to an upper supporting surfaceand having a downwardly opening recess therein for receiving saidupwardly disposed swivel pin,

(d) a base member adapted to be located on a lower supporting surfaceand having an upwardly opening recess therein for receiving saiddownwardly disposed swivel pin,

(e) said upright standard being adapted to rotate 360 on said swivelpins,

(f) a lifting boom pivotably mounted on the lower section of saidstandard for movement about a horizontal axis,

(g) means for raising and lowering said boom.

'2. Body and casket lifting apparatus as specified in claim 1 includinga coil spring adjustably mounted in said lower tubular section forresiliently supporting said upper tubular section therein.

3. Body and casket lifting apparatus comprising:

(a) an upright standard having a lower tubular section and an uppertubular section adapted to telescope into said lower tubular section,

(b) said lower tubular section having a downwardly disposed smoothswivel pin at its lower end and said upper tubular section having anupwardly disposed smooth swivel pin at its upper end,

(c) an upper member adapted to be secured to an upper supporting surfaceand having a downwardly opening recess therein for receiving saidupwardly disposed swivel pin,

((1) a base member adapted to be located on a lower supporting surfaceand having an upwardly opening recess therein for receiving thedownwardly disposed swivel pin of said lower tubular section,

(e) said upright standard being adapted to rotate 360 on said swivelpins,

(f) a coil spring adjustably mounted in said lower tubular section forresilient-1y supporting said upper tubular section in said lowertubularsection,

(g) a lifting boom having forward and rear ends, the rear end of saidlifting boom being pivotably pinned to said lower tubular section formovement about a horizontal axis, and

(h) a hydraulic jack for raising and lowering said boom, said jackcomprising a cylinder pivotably mounted on the lower tubular section ofsaid upright standard and a piston pivotably attached to said liftingboom intermediate its forward and rear ends, said jack having anoperating lever.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,688,507 10/1928 Schuh 21264 1,720,714 7/ 192-9 Bergesen. 2,523,200 9/ 1950 Durst248356 2,741,371 4/ 1956 Oswalt 212-35 2,903,227 9/ 1959 Key 2483563,089,742 5/ 1963 Powell 24835 6 X FOREIGN PATENTS 75,389 7/ 1949Norway.

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner.

EVON C. BL'UINK, Examiner.

A. L. LEVINE, Assistant Examiner.

1. BODY AND CASKET LIFTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: (A) AN ADJUSTABLEUPRIGHT FLOOR-TO-CEILING STANDARD HAVING AXIALLY ALIGNED TELESCOPINGUPPER AND LOWER TUBULAR SECTIONS, (B) SAID LOWER TUBULAR SECTION HAVINGA DOWNWARDLY DISPOSED SMOOTH SWIVEL PIN MOUNTED AT ITS LOWER END ANDSAID UPPER SECTION HAVING AN UPWARDLY DISPOSED SMOOTH SWIVEL PIN MOUNTEDAT ITS UPPER END, (C) AN UPPER MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO AN UPPERSUPORTING SURFACE AND HAVING A DOWNWARDLY OPENING RECESS THEREIN TORECEIVING SAID UPWARDLY DISPOSED SWIVEL PIN, (D) A BASE MEMBER ADAPTEDTO BE LOCATED ON A LOWER SUPPORTING SURFACE AND HAVING AN UPWARDLYOPENING RECESS THEREIN FOR RECEIVING SAID DOWNWARDLY DISPOSED SWIVELPIN, (E) SAID UPRIGHT STANDARD BEING ADAPTED TO ROTATE 360* ON SAIDSWIVEL PINS, (F) A LIFTING BOOM PIVOTABLY MOUNTED ON THE LOWER SECTIONAND SAID STANDARD FOR MOVEMENT ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS, (G) MEANS FORRAISING AND LOWERING SAID BOOM.